Tim and Sue Ford are newcomers to the art scene.  The path leading them here has been long and circuitous.  They met at UC Davis where Tim was working on a PhD in Nuclear Physics and Sue was working on a MS in International Agricultural Development.  After finishing their respective degrees, they headed to Germany where Tim did some post-doctoral work and Sue kept busy raising their two children and translating abstracts of doctoral theses from German to English.  While they were in Germany, Tim decided to take a slightly different career path and started working for an international scientific data base company, using the programming skills he had developed during his doctoral and post-doctoral work.  When they returned stateside, he took a job with a nuclear power plant as a computer programmer and later a computer group supervisor.  Sue continued raising the kids and, as they grew older, found ways to keep busy, working as a teacher’s aide, then growing apples, then working as a veterinary technician and finally as a substitute rural letter carrier. 

Disenchanted with the fast-paced, hectic, impersonal lifestyle of southern California, they decided to try something new after the kids were both out of the house.  This brought them to the quiet, idyllic mountain valley community of Hayfork in northern California and to trying their hand at art.  They got the idea of using wood and stone together from Sue’s uncle, James Bendall Seapy, who had done something similar back in the 80’s.  Uncle Ben had made tables and cabinets with inlaid stone slabs in varnish.  Tim and Sue decided to try covering the rock slabs with an epoxy resin instead - giving the rocks that “bottom of the creek” look - and have expanded beyond tables and cabinets.  The idea of making pictures with the rock pieces - stone intarsia - has also been a new addition to Ben’s old repertoire.

Tim has worked with wood as a hobby for most of his life and is enjoying being able to express his creativity via this medium, never ceasing to be amazed by the various figures and grains of all the different woods.  Adding stones with their variety of colors and patterns to the mix has made it that much more fun.  Tim’s forte has always been math and science and this is expressed in the symmetry and geometry of his work.  Sue came into this venture a true greenhorn, knowing little about working or finishing wood or rocks.  She has since avidly researched wood finishing and rocks and is now responsible for finishing Tim’s woodwork, as well as cutting the rock slabs and babysitting the resin to work the bubbles out after a pour.  Together, they are truly enjoying bringing out the beauty of nature in their production of functional and pure art.